WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The number of Americans without health insurance in 2004 climbed for the fourth consecutive year to a record high of 45.8 million.
The data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed an increase of 800,000 in the number of uninsured Americans, who make up 15.7 percent of the population.
The Financial Times said one of the main factors in the growing number of people living without health insurance is that rising costs appear to have made companies more reluctant to insure their workers.
The share of people covered by job-based health insurance fell from 60.4 percent to 59.8 percent, although companies still provide health benefits to around 170 million employees.
The number of Americans living in poverty rose by 1.1 million to 37 million last year. That accounts for 12.7 percent of the population, up from 12.5 percent in 2003.
